Bagrat Ioannisiani
Opening a wider view of the universe through large telescopes
Bagrat Ioannisiani was a Soviet Armenian engineer and designer of astronomical instruments. Born in Yerevan in 1911, he built his career in Leningrad’s optical and mechanical industry, specializing in large telescopes.
The 2.6-metre reflector telescopes installed at the Crimean and Byurakan observatories were developed under his leadership. Among his most important projects was the BTA, a large altazimuth telescope with a six-metre primary mirror in the North Caucasus. It represented a major achievement in large optical instrumentation.
Such projects required coordinated solutions in precision optics, mechanics and control systems. Ioannisiani died in 1985. His connection with Armenian astronomy continues through Byurakan’s instruments: in 2021, the observatory’s 2.6-metre telescope was named in his honour.